Click here to view the original article.[Regulatory capture in the corporatocracy. There have been plenty of stories on this subject, and plenty of nothing is being done about it. Just like the banksters they are being given fines for misrepresentation that have simply become part of their cost of doing business. All of it gets passed along to investors. *RON*]

By Deena Zaidi, Truthout, 19 March 2016
A scene from the Oscar-nominated movie The Big Short depicts the important role of credit ratings agencies during the Great Recession. It shows Melissa Leo as an employee of Standard & Poor's (one of the big three credit ratings agencies) explaining to Steve Carell (who plays a hedge fund manager) why S&P continues to give AAA ratings to mortgage-backed securities (consisting of junk loans). The answer given by her is: "They'll just go to Moody's."

During the 2008 financial crisis, a lot of worthless mortgage-related securities were given AAA ratings: the high…

["This abrogation of responsibilities will cost Europe dearly in terms of credibility and international standing. How do you remind the autocrats and dictators of this world of human rights or democratic values, when the example set by the EU through this refugee deal is so pitiful and assailable? The European Union will lose two of its most valued political assets: soft power and credibility. And the reason for this sorry spectacle is the incapacity to overcome national egotisms and the fear of the populist right." *RON*]

Barbara Wesel, Deutsche Welle, 18 March 2016

The agreement with Ankara is a kind of political success for Angela Merkel. It gives her much-needed room to maneuver within Germany, particularly after the rise of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Her approval ratings have already risen and she can now counter all attacks by pointing out that the flow of refugees into Germany will have effectiv…

The oil sands are downsizing. Alberta's Big Oil CEOs are talking to environmentalists. And proposed oil pipelines are in serious trouble.

Those were the takeaways from a trio of experts who spoke in Vancouver Wednesday at a "Carbon Talks" event hosted by Simon Fraser University with the David Suzuki Foundation and the Centre for International Governance.

And the reasons for them have a lot less to do with vocal activist opposition or the Trudeau government's cli…

["Everybody could see how well the Russian weaponry is, and as a result …Russia's military industrial complex" has — he motions with his fist as if knocking on a door — billions worth of interest from other countries. "Some big advertising of Russian weaponry, of course, is not the main goal," says Markov, "but it means it's not costly, even profitable" to have taken on this campaign. *RON*]
By Susan Ormiston, CBC News, 18 March 2016
Surprise is clearly Russian President Vladimir Putin's favourite tactic.

He pulled it out of his strategic arsenal again this week when announcing, with astonishing speed, a partial military pullout of Russian troops from Syria.

He then followed that up with the warning Thursday that, "if necessary, literally within a few hours, Russia can build up its contingent, and use the entire arsenal of capabilities at our disposal."